CONNECTING. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) provincial director Jerome Gonzalez (left) engages in a meeting with Balilihan mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto (right) where the the former provided a copy to the latter of a memorandum order from the said national agency in relation to the suspension order imposed on former Balilihan vice mayor Adonis Roy Olalo. The meeting took place on July 14, 2022 at the Balilihan mayor’s office. It was the Bohol Tribune which first broke the story on the Ombudsman’s order to suspend Olalo for 30 days without pay due to simple misconduct. Mayor Chatto said that as the order was implemented after Olalo ended his term on June 30, 2022, the former vice mayor is liable to pay a fine to be paid to the Office of the Ombudsman. Contributed photo
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) provincial director Jerome Gonzales visited Balilihan mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto in relation to the suspension order imposed on former Balilihan vice mayor Adonis Roy Olalo on July 14, 2022.
It can be recalled that the Ombudsman-Visayas suspended Olalo for 30 days due to simple misconduct. The Bohol Tribune was the one which first broke the story.
However Olalo lost his bid for a mayoralty seat in the last elections. Thus, he would instead pay a fine taken from his terminal or retirement benefits to be remitted to the Ombudsman.
Gonzales visited Mayor Chatto to inform the latter that the suspension order has been served.
“The purpose of the visit of DILG director Jerome Gonzalez is to give me a copy of the decision of the Ombudsman about the suspension of former vice mayor Adonis Roy Olalo,” Mayor Chatto said.
“Tungod nahuman na ang iyang [Olalo’s] term, adtong June 30, so ang fine nalang ang iyahang [Gonzalez] ma implement,” Mayor Chatto explained.
BACKGROUND
The case of simple misconduct stems from the failure of Olalo to obtain an approved leave of absence or travel order during the height of the pandemic and the lockdowns as response to contain the Coronavirus disease (Covid).
Olalo left Balilihan on March 7, 2020 without any approved leave application as he failed to return during the grace period prior to the complete imposition of the enhanced community quarantine. It means that Olalo had the chance to return to Balilihan but did not do so and instead used the lockdowns as an excuse for being unable to return and serve the people of Balilihan during the pandemic’s height.
The Ombudsman made the decision to suspend Olalo last year. However, Mayor Chatto received a copy of the decision only in May 2022.
The decision of the Ombudsman was forwarded to the Interior and Local Government Secretary which then issued a suspension order to be implemented by the field officials like the provincial director.